The Gates Into Hell
by Rodmeister
Summary: A reinforcment arrives after easy company battles in Carentan. He and his new comrades discover a German farm house in the countryside.


Rodney Montgomery

The Gates into Hell

The Big Red One was not how I had expected it to be. As a reinforcement you weren't treated very fairly, but you could make a few friends on your spare time. I had dropped into Eindhoven, France the night before with little resistance.

"We soldiers, are here to liberate that farmhouse," barked Lt. Joehanson. He pointed to a barn house just ahead of our position. Few of us trusted him as our C.O. We had lost three men from the squad yesterday in Carantan. Joehanson was also unstable. I heard that once when the squad was hiding he threw a rock at a German because he was mad. Needless to say they were surrounded in no time.

Our current situation was no different than that of the past. We're no more than a rocks through distance of a Kraut and Joehanson was getting impatient. I'm a little antsy myself, but not as much as him.

I pulled away part of the brush we were behind to see the barn house Joehanson was talking about. It's huge, I thought to myself. The barn could have been one of greatness, but instead it was being used as a defensive position just outside of the main city. Once painted red the barn was now a dull orange and mercilessly punctured with bullet holes. In front of the Farm was a river that rushed past us. About ten feet away was a bridge that connected the two sides divided by the river.

"Got any smokes?" Walter asked.

"Uh, Yeah here," I handed him the whole pack almost knowing that I would not live to use them again.

"Thanks Frank." He immediately lit one and puffed hard.

"Get ready," said Joehanson. He waved his hand to hush everyone up. I picked up my M1 garand. I was shaking and fumbling with picking it up. My cigarette fell out of my mouth. Everyone looked at each other. Then Joehanson motioned for us to stand up. My knees shook as I got to my feet.

I had never been in combat until now. What I had used to be ready for seemed so impossible that I wanted to die in place. I heard the sound of metal hitting metal.

"Open fire!" Out of nowhere the blazing of guns broke out. I turned away from the barn to see a hole in the back of Walters helmet.

"Walter," I exclaimed. He fell to his knees then hit the ground face first. I crouched. The other guy next to me flew backwards after being hit by an mg42. His body fell limply next to mine.

"Go, go ,go!" Joehanson had gotten up and began racing to the bridge. A person yelled to follow him while he ran by. "Lets go." I stood up just in time to see our C.O. make it halfway across the bridge. I tried to catch up with him and the rest of my squad. I wasn't too far away, but I was scared. Bullets kicked up the dirt around the squad. Joehanson had almost made it to the other side. When someone shouted.

"Grenade!" Joehanson looked back at us. Suddenly dark red blood sprayed out of his back. Then a grenade exploded sending Joehanson high into the air.

"Keep moving," our new C.O. yelled. I didn't know who he was, personally, but I knew enough that he was now in charge. Joehanson landed on the pavement with a thud. Some of the squad kept running the others knelt down and began shooting at the kraut post. I kept running while our new C.O. kept yelling. While he ran he yelled at the soldiers left shooting. "Move it! Do you want to die?"

They slowly got up, still firing. Now they were far behind the rest of us. I looked forward. Several bodies lied in front of me. I jumped over some of the painfully dyeing and dove behind some hay stacks. The five men around me had already taken cover and were waiting for the orders to open the large barn doors.

I looked back. The C.O was almost to where we were. Behind him were two soldiers running for their lives. The rest of the men who had stayed behind were dead or needed serious medical attention.

"How many we got left," he asked.

"Including you eight," Randall said. He had made himself known to everyone. I though he should be leading us, but he didn't have the rank to.

"Everybody got grenades?"

"Yes Sir," the squad grunted.

"Good. Parker, Luke pull open those doors. On my signal I want everyone to throw those grenades into that Kraut nest. Understand?"

"Yes Sir." Parker and Luke hustled to the giant God-like doors. They began pulling them to the sides. A small crack between the doors grew. A German spun around to see what was going on too late. We had already chucked more than 15 grenades into the farmhouse. I hugged the ground and held my helmet.

An earsplitting explosion made me shake. I heard laughter from our side. I smiled and looked at everyone.

"What are you all laughing at," The C.O asked. "We still have a whole barn and the area surrounding to liberate. Luke and Parker ran over to the group "Nice work you two."

"Thanks Sir," they responded together.

"Alright, now there are a few more nazis upstairs and there shouldn't be any on ground level. You," he pointed at me. Grab your rifle and scout out the ground floor.

"Yes sir," I managed to stutter. I wearily stood up and dusted off my uniform. I cautiously walked towards the gigantic doors. A few birds chirped in the distance. There was hay scattered about the floor. In the center lay the half of a German corpse. Probably the one we had killed. A fly had quickly began searching his body for nourishment. When I finally entered I noticed all of the horse stalls that would need to be checked.

I turned right and began to check each horse pen for krauts. I nervously looked behind me as a twig snapped. The barn was deafly quiet. No squad yelling or joking around, no animals making noise, just silence. I must have taken to long to search the farmhouse because my squad rushed through the doors and began pointing there guns at everything. Our commanding officer came over to me.

"What took you so long? We were getting worried about you." Worried about me, but I'm just a reinforcement I thought to myself. I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I was scared, sir."

"Scared? What's there to be afraid of? We've got your back. What's your name private?"

"Dimagio, Frank Dimagio."

"My name's Summers, kid. Well now that were both aquatinted let's go kick some nazi ass!"

"Yes sir." The squad formed around us while there equipment clattered.

"Alright squad, listen up. There are a few Krauts upstairs with an mg42. I need two volunteers." No one in the squad dared to make a move. "Randall you just volunteered." He pointed at me. "And you Frank have the honors of helping big mouth out.

"Yes sir."

"I want Randall to open the door to the upstairs and Frank…"

"Yes sir?"

"You through a grenade up there and fall back along with Randall. Got it?" He gave us no time to respond. "Good. Go!" I jogged to the faded blue door and leaned up against a wall next to it. Randall explained to the group how he could kill ten nazis with a single bullet. "Randall move it! Rest of the squad grab some cover in those horse pens.

After a while Randall came over. He leaned against the other side of the door. Then I nodded. Randall kicked down the door and began running. I unclipped a grenade. It's rough surface felt smooth in my hand. I pulled the pin and chucked the small olive colored explosive device up the stairs. I heard it click on the ground and in no time clouds of dust came through the door.

I climbed into a horse stall after tossing the garand over. Dead silence. Minutes passed without any one moving. I jumped because the hay next to me was moving. A head popped out.

"Sorry I startled you. Hey, you're the new guy aren't you? Frank, isn't it?

"Yeah."

"These krauts can't do nothing to us. There all afraid see. They can't stop us right?" He started crying. "Right!?"

"Shut-up Barkly," some one loudly whispered. Barkly quietly sobbed in the pile of hay. I looked for help.

"Those krauts, those God damn krauts. They brought me out here. That's why I'm here." He sniffled. "I just don't know. I didn't know it would get worse." Barkly wept and put his fist up to his mouth. His bottom lip trembled. "Help," he made a desperate cry.

"Form on me," Summers ordered. I got up and ran over to him. The rest of our group slowly came out of hiding.

"Sir," I said. "Permission to speak?"

"Yes."

"Barkly needs some help. He's lost it."

"Alright private. Sam tend to him. As for the rest of you, get going upstairs." The six of us including Summers hustled to the staircase. He pushed someone forward into the doorway. He gazed back in desperation. Summers gave him a reassuring nod and off he went. He made it to the top of the stairs unharmed, but that was soon to change.

"Get down! Get to cover! Move , move, move!" A grenade had exploded on the top of the stairs and had sent all parts of the guys body down the staircase. I flung myself over a guard rail on a stall. That's when I heard a stampede of footsteps coming down the stairs.

A laid quietly under the hay. A black boot stepped in front of my hiding place. Foreign words were being shouted from all directions. I heard Barkly sobbing quietly. I knew we were in for it. I heard something spill. The noise grew louder and then I saw a gasoline tank's contents being poured in front of my stall. The German boot turned as a cigarette butt fell to the ground.

The stable quickly turned into a raging inferno. I was surrounded by fire. I heard a car speed away in the distance and a stall door open. Summer's was yelling something that was barely comprehensible. More shouts. I stood up wiping the sweat from my face.

"Come on lets go!" I managed to hear. Behind me was a window that was my only way out. It was small, but someone could fit through it. I easily pushed myself through and hit the soft grass. Someone Sam and Barlkly burst out of a door right near me.

"You alright?" I asked

"Yeah, but the rest of the squad isn't. Randall's trapped and probably won't make it out. Summers is out, but I don't think he'll leave until.." Sam's voice trailed off while. While I ran once again through the large doors.

It was chaos inside. What looked like Randall flew past me screaming trying to put himself out. Summer's ran over to me.

"Get out of here."

"No sir." I wiped my brow and began searching for fellow soldiers.

"Get you're ass out here." Summers was almost out of the door. The fire crackled. I tried to see into the stalls.

"Help," someone yelled from behind me. I spun and saw a blurry figure.

"I gotchya. I gotchya. Don't worry." A hand popped out and I grabbed it I pulled him out. He looked okay. "You're okay," I said. I helped him to the doors and continued to find survivors.

Later when I got out of the stable a jeep was waiting for me. I had never been so happy to see an American car. I hopped on with what was left of the squad. I stared into the sky and reflected on what had happened in the fire.

By the time I had gotten out the barn it had almost fallen down. I had saved three people making our soldiers left, seven. Randall wasn't able to make it. I was upset to watch him burn to death. Everyone thanked me on a job well done as the car sped back to Eindhoven.


End file.
